Hater of the High Seas
by Anais-Noir
Summary: Jessica. 22 years old. She hates the ocean, and even small lakes, or large puddles. She's broke, ands is taken on by a small ship, with the intent of getting right back off. On land. But it isn't happening... (romance rating precautionary right now)
1. From Land to Sea

And here comes the disclaimer! I own no person, place thing or ... well, I don't own anything, except for Jessica, Molly and Eric, in this chapter! 

FYI: The rating may be changed through the story.... Each chapter will be rated separately! Story rating may be changed later. (I tend to overrate things, because I don't want to surprise anyone!)

  


Chapter One: From land to sea  
PG

  
She tossed deep brown curls over one shoulder, and narrowed chocolate eyes. Hands on the hips of her plain-white tunic, she dressed rather like a short, somewhat shapely, man. She tried to mask her disgust at this latest development.  


"Please." Spat Jessica. "It has been far too long! He'd never remember me!"  


Just then, the devil decided to push through the doors. Blue eyes still bright, his body still as tanned as last she'd seen him, he moved to a table just a few yards away from her. This wouldn't work.   


Evidently, Molly sensed the coming onslaught and imposed herself in front of Jessica.

Jessica merely brushed past Molly, and headed straight for Eric.  


"Eric, darling. It has been a while, hasn't it?" She asked serenely, gliding up to his left. Eric stood in one abrupt motion, dumping the serving wench onto the ale-coated floor.  
"Jessica!" He exclaimed with an obviously faked pleasure. She noted the way his eyes darted around, and the way his ears turned a sullen pink. He also refused to look at her.  
"Quite a lengthy bachelor's party, huh?" she asked, looking to his companions. One or two looked confused, but the other four looked solidly at the ground. "Two years is certainly enough, I would have thought."   


She glared at him, willing him to look up, to feel her pain, to know how much she'd missed him  
Yeah, right.   


She brought back her fist, and punched him. She threw her entire body weight into that one contact, and sent him sprawling on the ground.  
He sat up, and spit blood. She proceeded to beat him senseless, and got herself kicked out of yet another bar.

Molly still had to work, so Jessica went home. She had a half-formed plan by the time she'd walked the mile to her three-roomed home of the last eight weeks. She entered through the kitchen, and walked into the bedroom. Rummaging around in the bottom drawer of the low-quality wardrobe, she pulled out her traveling pack and filled it with her belongings.  


She left a note for Molly whenever she got back, thanking her for the hospitality, and promising to send her a letter sometime. She left the rest of her money on the kitchen table; Molly wasn't wealthy, and Jessica felt a little, like she'd been a burden. With no more than a backward glance, Jessica was off towards the docks. She hated the sea, the salty waterbut she would endure it for a few days if someone would take her. 

That very night she found a captain willing have her on for a while; she would be their cook until they got to their next port and picked up more people.

  
Gray light filtered through the early-morning mist as Jessica climbed aboard the ship. She was The Temperamental Barmaid. The crew thought the name was a riot, and they were a very friendly bunch. Clean, pleasant and respectful, if she hadn't hated the rolling waters so much, she might have stayed on forever. As it was, she agreed to stay through one more port with them. One week to their first stop, where they picked up six more men. That brought the grand total up to thirteen, including her. Several men were arguing with the captain about the numbers because of superstitions, and several of the newcomers didn't want a woman aboard.   


"Bad luck my arse!" Jessica yelled at Liggins, one of the new men. "Women aren't bad! We're cleaner-"  
"Yer wastin' water!"  
"We're more polite-"  
"What's that get you?"  
"I'll shove a carrot up your right nostril, if you don't leave-."  
"Andright then. Carry on!" He ginned with good-natured humor and hurried on his way, leaving her with a bag of un-peeled carrots at her feet.

That was the state of things for the next few days. Quiet, calm, and relaxed.  
And then there was rain. Not 'oh no, the-picnic-is-ruined' rain, the 'looking-up-will-drown-you' rain. Followed by hail, lightning, and peals of thunder that bordered on physical blows.   


Suddenly, gunshots rang out. Jessica dropped to the deck and slipped on a pool of warm blood. A scream tried to claw it's way out of her throat, but she held it down and groped her way to something solid. Pushing her back up against the helm, she managed to re-claim her footing.  
Someone loomed in front of her. It was hard to see through the rain, but she could hear in the brief pause between the booms of thunder.  
"Sorry lass." She realized it was good ol' Liggins, before a fist shot out of nowhere and slammed her head into the deck. 

**.**

  
God, waking was painful. She had a migraine, and even the gently soothing sounds of the sea hurt and made her whimper in pain. Things were a bit fuzzy around the edges, but otherwise, she remembered everything in perfect detail; the way his hand had been smeared with blood, the shadowy figure that appeared out of the downpour, her last feeling of anger when she couldn't even see his face.   


Coward.  


When she finally mustered up the courage to open her eyes, Jessica let out a moan of anger and frustration. She was locked below deck, in one of those 4 X 5 cells. You know, the one with the bars and the uncomfortable cot. And sitting just outside was another man.   
He had sandy hair, smelled like bad tobacco, and was the size of a small mountain. And he was snoring. Good. Now, the best part would be for him to have the keys he chose that moment, however, to turn just a bit, and she clearly heard the jangle of small metal things. They also happened to be on the other side of the snoring hill of flesh. Wonderful. Now what was she supposed to do?

  
Weeks passed. Or, it felt like weeks. She had no idea of why they were here, or why she was locked in a cell. Two tiny meals a day and a pitcher of water were her only companions day in and day out, and of course, one man or another.   


Then one day, Lady Luck shone upon her bleak existence. Her guard was passed out, drunk, directly in front of her cell. The keys were attached to his belt. The belt could be undone, and the keys obtained. Finally! After kicking him in the side a few times, she determined he wasn't going to wake up any time soon. She carefully undid his belt, and reached around him to the keys. She cupped them carefully in her hand so they wouldn't make any noise, and held her breath, listening.  
She reached up, oh so quietly, and put the first key into the lock and tried to turn it. Nope. She tried the second key. Still no luck. By now she was starting to sweat; any moment now, the shift would change, and she would be discovered. Finally, she managed to shove the third one into the lock, and it obligingly turned with an audible click. It was loud enough to be a gunshot! She gently pushed the door open, and it creeaaked. She flinched.  


Inching open the door took even more of her patience. She slipped through the small opening, and leaned in for a closer inspection of the unconscious man at her feet. She found a knife that she tied to her waist with a bit of sash. The cabinet across the room wielded two pistols, but they had no bullets. Besides; she couldn't load one just now; She was about to scream with madness at how quiet she had to be.  


She also found a sharp cutlass, about the length of her arm. Perfect! She knew enough about them that she could take any one of the scruffy men she'd seen here in varying states of intoxication. She felt confident (and desperate) enough to even chance fighting them sober. After she was armed and presumably dangerous, she concentrated on the above deck. Hearing nothing, she crept towards the door. Poking her head out, she saw no one. Wonderful. She went back below for a moment, and hauled the drunk into her cell, locking the door.  


She again ascended the steps, but to a slightly different scene.

"You mangy COWARD!" Yelled someone. She heard the sounds of metal clanging off of metal, and heard a great boom. The ship rocked.  
"She's taking on water, captain!" cried a higher voice. More metal clanging.  
"WHAT?" Yelled a loud, deep voice.  
"She's taking on wa-" He never finished that sentence. A sword decapitated him right about then, and a wave of blood spilled across the wood to her left.

She heard another great boom. It sounded very loud, coming from the steps beneath her. She strained her ears for more, and heard what sounded like several men yelling. They also sounded to be coming from below her. She could not fight them with more on deck, she knew that much. And she didn't even know their skill level! She moved to stand on deck, and looked about to see where she had the least chance of being seen. Just then, she heard people making for the stairs.  


She moved forward, out of their line of sight until she could think. The Galley! There were plenty of places to hide down there! She moved purposefully towards the door. She'd almost reached it, when another one of those large booming sounds smashed into the boat, and tipped it sharply. Jessica fell over, and landed at the feet of some strange men in ragged garb.  


She looked up, and saw surprise flash across their faces. Quickly, she pushed herself to her feet and made for the door. She tugged. Hard. It wouldn't open!   


"Damn you! Damn you all to the lowliest of Hells! Back to where you came from, 'eh?" She yelled, as loudly as she could. She was petrified. She could either show it as being scared...or being really, really angry.  


Just then, someone decided to fall on the helm and jerk it again. She tried to keep her footing, and threw herself into the wall, hoping to grab something steady. She didn't, and proceeded to stumble backwards and into the arms of a man. Well, she assumed it was a man- she was temporarily blind with pain. She guessed that most women wouldn't have been able to lift her easily; this person did. She also knew that most women liked to bathe. This person didn't. That was about all she got to before she blacked out.

  
She woke up with a hard surface beneath her, and something digging into her hip. She didn't show she was awake; who new who was watching her. She slowly prepped her muscles to grab the knife in her sash, and rise in one smooth motion. (She would have used the sword, but it seemed to be missing) This would have to be done carefully. She moved a little, as if in sleep, and found her hands and feet unbound. Wonderful. She couldn't hear anyone, another plus.  


Then she moved. She stood as quickly as possible and had the knife in hand half a second later. But someone had been waiting.   


He grabbed her hand and spun her around, pressing her body to his own, and had managed to turn the knife. If she moved, she would slit her own throat. She reacted out of pure adrenaline.  


She pushed the knife away from her throat, as she simultaneously raised her heel towards his crotch. She took him by surprise; He was on his knees in the time it took her to turn.  


Instantly, hands grabbed her. They pulled her away from the downed man, and they got her hands secured and dropped her to her knees. She struggled and managed to bite one man, but other than that, it was pretty pointless.  


Her mind reeled. What was this? She was obviously in a hostile situation, yet no one had offered her direct violence. They hadn't chained her, they hadn't disarmed her even though her weapon had been painfully obvious, and any dangerous positions she'd been in thus far, were seemingly in self-defense. She went limp.  


Clap. Clap. Clap. Slow applause meandered towards her right side. Since someone had pulled her head back by her hair, she couldn't get a glimpse of whom it might be.  


"You can let 'er go. I want to see what we've got 'ere." Said a man with obviously some sort of rank. The others let her go and she rose to her feet. She turned quickly to see him, and was stunned at what she saw.  


"You're a bloody pirate!" She spoke incredulously. "But, I thought there weren't any around here anymore!" She exclaimed softly. "Norrington's crew haven't found any for months" she trailed off as she felt someone looming. She looked over her shoulder to see a man reaching for her. She backed up.  


"Best not mention that name 'round 'ere, love." Someone spoke into her ear. She let out a small yelp and flung an arm behind her. She heard a SMACK, and whirled around. There stood that pirate, holding the side of his face.  


"Now I know I didn't do anything to deserve that!" He exclaimed.  


"You startled me!" Jessica yelled. She felt on the verge of tears, but she wouldn't admit it. She'd said the wrong name, done the wrong thing, to someone of rank, nonetheless! She'd die out here amongst pirates, on the ocean! This was unbearably depressing.  


"Look, if you're going to kill me, could you either make it quick, or do it at the nearest beach, please?" She asked glumly.  
The Pirate looked a tad bit surprised, and then he started to laugh.   


"My my, love. Already planning your own death, 'eh? You're a cheerful one."  
She couldn't help but smile. "I suppose I am. What of it?" she watched him as he slowly walked around her.  


"You're of a different sort than we're used to seeing." He began thoughtfully. "Most of us are vulgar. You're an odd one, love." The pirate finished, with an odd smile. Bits of gold and silver littered his mouth.   


'My god, if I could knock out a few of his teeth, I could buy a horse! I'd never have to be near these waters again!' she thought with an inward sigh.  


"Are those gold-plated, or solid?" she asked, staring at his mouth.   
He laughed out loud.  


"Gold plated, miss. I tend to spend the most o' me gold, but I'll save some o' me favorites for later." He replied, flashing another sparkly smile.  


"Right then." She spoke, looking around. "Wellwhat's she called?"   


"Aye, she be the Black Pearl." He said with another sideways smile.  


"Well, she's quite lovely, if you're into the sailing thing." Jessica admired.   
The pirate seemed surprised.   


"And you've never heard of her?" He asked, incredulous.  


"I might have, I just don't remember." She shrugged, looking towards the mast, squinting her eyes to see the top.  


"You are an odd one, I'll give ye that." He answered. "And I don't quite remember your name."  


"Nor do I remember yours." She turned and squinted at him.  


"Oh, terribly, terribly sorry." He doffed his hat and gave a bow. "I be Captain Jack Sparrow."   


"Thank you. Now, Mr. Sparrow-"  


"Captain, love, Captain, if ye please."  


"Sorry Captain. May I ask how long I am to be here?" she tried to remain nonchalant, but she dreaded anything other than, "Oh, a few hours at best."

"I'm not sure. We don't dock often, if we can help it. It all dependsyou anyone of rank? Anyone be looking for ye? Perhaps with some gold in the bargain?"  


She looked up and met his dark-rimmed eyes. "'Fraid not." She whispered.  


"What was that love?" He asked, moving closer to hear her.  


"To be perfectly honest," she paused to swallow, "I'm afraid not."  


"Well then, honesty is, of course, appreciated." The captain said with a toothy grin. Many men behind her chuckled. "But, that means one of two things. You caneither work for us then, or we can kill you. Which will it be?" he said, loud enough for all to hear him.  


She only had to think for a second. "Well, I don't fancy dieing here, so I suppose I could work." She added sarcastically.  


"Wonderful. And what would be your name, so I may stop calling yeh, 'love', 'miss', and anything else that happens by. Need to know that. Or, do I?" He asked slowly, giving her a look that she thought was to be seductive. She wanted to laugh, it was so strange. But she didn't fancy death, so she settled for a shy smile.   


"It's Jessica." She replied, looking towards her feet.  


"Well then, Miss Jessica, what all do you know about sailing?" he asked her, moving to stand in front of her. He posed with one hand on his hip.  


"I know you need food for whatever time you're away fromland. And I can cook. I can clean. But actual sailing, I know almost nothing about." She replied truthfully, shrugging her shoulders.   


"Hmm. That's a bit unusual. Why were you so far out to sea then?" He asked. She guessed he was referring to the attack. She tried to outline the problem.  


"I guess they were other pirates. They took over our ship after our second port. I know we were traveling for about a week and a half before you all came along; I was stuck in the brig." She answered disgustedly. "I don't know where all we were going."   


He watched her thoughtfully. "Well. I suppose if you clean well, we could teach you." He offered with a sly grin. More men laughed.  


"Alright then." She sighed. "When and where do I start?"  


"Right now. The men's quarters are over there." He gestured to his right. "And when the shadow from the mast reaches that door, you can start dinner."

**.**

  
Another couple of weeks went by. She cooked, she cleaned, she learned. The men were sure appreciative; they now had a proper place to sleep, and they had food with more flavor than just salt.   


It was actually going rather well. They started treating her like precious cargo, as opposed to a slave. There were only two rules: do as the Captain says, and stay out of his cabin.  


Jessica thought nothing of it, since most of the time the Captain was either on deck, or plaguing the sailors. He had a quick wit, and mysterious air about him.   


Jessica, though, was not one to get involved; one failed marriage, two failed engagements, and a violent breakup were all she needed. She was barely 22, and maybe she'd try for love again, in oh, eight or ten years. Or never! Never kept sounding better and better.

The captain was fairly different looking, compared to many men she'd met; hair as long as many maids, golden-brown, kohl rimmed eyes set in a triangular face, and a trimmed mustache with a stubble goatee. Add an angular nose, and a wardrobe of good-quality rags, and there stood the most dangerous captain on the sea.  


Or so Mr. Gibbs bragged. If that man spent as much time doing his duties as he did talking about the captain to Jessica, The Black Pearl could have been a one-man crew.

Mr. Gibbs was currently telling yet another impossible tale to Jessica. This one, recalled Jack fighting twelve Great White Sharks, with nothing but a kitchen knife and a rope. Supposedly, his bandana was forever stained red by their blood.  


"Please, Mr. Gibbs, that story wasn't supposed to be told until my funeral." Jack smiled, leaning against the doorway with his arms folded. Jessica jumped a bit when he spoke.  


"Huh. Sorry Jack, I guess I forgot." He spoke apologetically, and flashed a grin.  


Jack waved off the apology with one hand. An expensive flash of teeth dismissed Gibbs back to whatever he'd been doing earlier.  


Now Jack's attention was focused on Jessica. She stopped her half-hearted sweeping and waited for instructions.  


"Excuse Mr. Gibbs. A bit too much grog to his head, I think." He spoke good-naturedly, gesturing to the steps the first-mate had just disappeared up.  
Jessica grinned and nodded.   


"You stories paint you to be rather invincible, eh Captain Sparrow?" She joked.  


Jack ducked his head with a small smile. "Mr. Gibbs is much too flattering. Poor man gets so lonely on land, that he makes up stories to entertain himself."   


He looked to the stairs again, this time in guilt. "I should never have left" he muttered quietly.  
Jessica respectfully looked at the ground, then back at Jack after a moment. He seemed to realize where he was, and cleared his throat.  


"Well then, Miss Jessica, do you think it's about time to start dinner?" he asked her.   


She glanced around. "I suppose so. What sounds good tonight, Captain?" she replied, moving to put her broom away.  


"I was actually thinking of cooking tonight. Giving you the night off." He paused, and smiled at her look of suspicion. "Don't worry, lass, there's no catch! Just wanted to do something other than yell at the crew for a change. Go, ahead and go up. Take the night off! And tell Gibbs if he tells you another story tonight, he walks the plank!" he exclaimed with shining eyes.  


Jessica grinned as he shooed her out of the galley.

**

.

**

Alrighty then! This should give a little beginning insight....I already have the first few paragraphs written, I just need to come up with about thirty more for the next chapter! Well, I hope this was enough to be interesting, and hook you into reading more! I promise there will be much more things happening in the next chapter....someone dies and comes back to life and whatnot. ^_^ As for romance of any kind...I'm not sure yet, but it might be fun! Ok then, thanks for reading! ^_^

~Airyn  



	2. Bad luck for the lady

And I'm very sorry, Goldenkingcobra! Were you really late for school??? ^_^

  
The rating for this chapter is based on swearing, and the storm scene. 

**Chapter Two: Bad luck for the lady**

**PG-13**

**.**

Things were going remarkably well for Jessica. She was now much more a member of the crew; she could help load the cannons, set up parts of the rigging, and use the stars to navigate at night. She learned that the Black Pearl was unique, as far as ships can be, and that the water wasn't so bad when you were on a ship.  


It's when you were off it, that things got bad.  


**.**

  


It had been a calm, blue-skied day, with a light breeze coming from the north. Nothing at all unusual. Jessica had been sitting about twenty feet up in the rigging untangling some ropes, when the weather decided to change. One moment it was nice and peaceful, the sun on her backthen the wind started to howl. Suddenly, she was swung around on her perch, and forced to clutch the ropes she'd just been untangling. Needless to say, since they were a mess, they weren't going to hold her long. A good half of them weren't even tied off to anything!  


"Everyone below deck!" Yelled Jack, with one arm around the mast.  


Jessica moved quickly and carefully towards the ropes that would lower her down. A boom of thunder sounded overhead, and the boat gave a great shudder. It was now raining, and she let out a yelp as she lost her balance, and slipped off the end of the wooden beam she'd been holding onto. As she saw the water rushing towards her, she had the sense to yell, "HELP!" before she went under. She struggled towards the surface, trying to get a breath.   


Reaching the surface, she took gulps of air, trying to see the ship through the pouring rain and rolling waves. As a large bolt of lightning seared overhead, she caught a glimpse of The Pearl, not thirty feet away. Someone also caught a glimpse of her, and saw her sink under the surface again, thrashing wildly.  
That same someone called to Anna Maria to keep the ship steady, and tied a rope around himself. Taking a deep breath, he dove in the general direction of where 

Jessica had disappeared.  


It was Jack, actually, who threw himself over the side and swam down as far as he could go, looking for her. He saw nothing, even with the lightning flashes illuminating tens of feet down. He came to the surface for air and dove back under.   


FLASH! BOOM!   


There! She was floating a few yards away. She was trying desperately to get to the surface, but it was like she didn't know how. He swam to her and grabbed her shirt, hauling her up to the surface. She seemed to realize who he was, because she stopped struggling. He tried to swim with one arm, but kept getting pushed away from The Pearl. He tried yelling, but as he took a breath, a wave crashed over his head, and he swallowed salt.   


Jessica started thrashing wildly again. He tried to hold her, but that just made her struggle harder. He couldn't let go, because she would be swept away. 

Unfortunately, they'd been pushed far under. Jack was trying to get her to conserve her air, when she went completely still. Jack turned to look at her through the gloomy seawater, and noticed that not a bubbled had escaped her mouth. His eyes widened in alarm. No wonder she'd been struggling! She hadn't had any air to begin with! Jack cursed himself mentally, and started kicking towards the surface. Suddenly, the rope around his waist went taunt.   


Jack held Jessica tightly, and they were soon pulled from the churning waters. As they were pulled on deck, Jack didn't even wait for the rope to be taken off him before he dropped beside Jessica's lifeless form.  


He put his ear to her chest, and heard a faint pulse. The only problem was, she wasn't breathing. Jack picked her up, faced her away from him, thumping her on the back with one fist. Water dribbled out of her mouth. After a moment, he lay her down and breathed air into her lungs. When she still didn't respond, he thumped her on the back again. The crew stood in a loose circle around them, some with horrified expressions, some merely solemn. They'd seen this before.  


Jack was calmly breathing air into her lungs. It seemed like everything was going so slowlyhe felt like he was still under the water, being battered by the waves.  
Mr. Gibbs gently laid a hand on Jack's shoulder, as if in sympathy. He shrugged it off and continued his silent routine. As he was breathing air into her lungs for the fourth time, he felt her breathe in through her nose. He sat back on his heels as she started coughing. He leaned forward to roll her on her side, but several men were already there.

Jack went limp with relief, as Jessica coughed up water for a moment. The rain had mostly stopped, but the wind was still roaring, and the sky was still dark. 

Another flash of lightning confirmed Jack's suspicions that this wasn't over.   


"Everyone below deck. We'll have to wait this one out, right here." He ordered, rising to his feet. The crew looked up, startled, then some of them moved to anchor the ship, while others grabbed things and trailed below. Gibbs moved forward, presumably to get Jessica, but Jack set a hand on his arm.   


"No thanks, Gibbs, I got her." He knelt down and lifted Jessica's semi-conscious form. Gibbs looked on until Jack had disappeared with her down the steps, then shook his head.  


"I knew it was bad luck to bring a women on board. But so far, it's only been bad luck for the lady." He muttered sadly, and moved over to help secure the helm.

**

. 

**

Jack got down to his cabin, kicked open the door, and kicked it shut behind him. After that, he was a bit lost. They were both completely soaked  


Jack had a plan, of course, but it would have been incredibly obscene under different circumstances. He finally decided that he could be forgiven when she woke up.  


He stripped Jessica of her outer layer of clothing, and left her underclothes on. He himself stripped all the cloth off his upper body, but leaving everything on below his waist. He lay Jessica on his bed, wrapped her up in the blankets, and moved to lay their clothing out to dry in a spot in the corner.   


He had just set out her shirt, when he heard whimpering. He turned to look at the bed. Jessica was shaking, tears leaking from beneath tightly closed eyelids.  


Jack felt a strong wave of sympathy. He'd also been afraid the first time he'd nearly drowned. But his experience had stemmed from his own blind stupidity. He didn't know what it felt like as an accident. And to think, he could have killed her  


Jack closed his eyes, and sighed at the recent events. Jessica whimpered again.   
He opened them and went to the bed. He sat down gently on the side, and rested a calloused had on the side of her neck.   


"Shhhit's alright love. You're safe here, now." He murmured, trying to be soothing. She quieted a bit, but was still shaking, and she was still crying.

She curled up in a tight ball. Jack looked around for something to help her calm down a bit. He reached out and touched her hand, and flinched.  


"You're freezing!" he remarked.  


He looked closer, and saw that her teeth were chattering, and she was noticeably shivering.  


Tired, angry with himself, and lost in his own thoughts, Jack slid under the blankets next to Jessica, and leaned against the headboard. He held her up against himself, and whispered into her hair.  


"It's alright, love, you're alright, you're just fine" He repeated over and over. Gradually, her tears slowed and then stopped. She warmed up, stopped shivering, and fell into true sleep. Jack tried to keep his eyes open, but since there was no more danger, and no more excitement to keep him going, his body relaxed itself and slept, where he wanted it to or not. 

**

.

**

  


The first thing Jessica felt, was soft padding beneath her. The second was cloth wrapped around her, and the third was the flesh under her head rising and falling. It seemed that she was leaning on someone, and they were still sleeping.  


Jessica moved to get up, and felt strong arms holding her. She noticed that her lungs hurt when she took a deep breath, and ended up coughing until the pain subsided. She tried to remember what it was from, and turned absent-mindedly to whom she was lying against it appeared to someone's shirtless chest! She looked up, and saw to whom it belonged. Captain Sparrow slept peacefully, head leaning back a little to rest against the wall.  


Jessica promptly turned a few shades lighter and glanced down. He was nude all the way down to his waist, which from there, was thankfully hidden by a sheet.   


She struggled out of his arms and got her foot caught in a blanket,  
fell over backwards, and landed on her rear next to the bed.   


Jack sat bolt upright and glanced wildly around. Looking to his right, he saw Jessica sprawled on the floor between the bed and the porthole.  


Jack frantically searched his mind for an explanation. After a moment, it came back to him.  


"You all right?" He asked, rolling on his side to get up and help her.  


"No! Don't move!" she yelled, throwing an arm up to shield her eyes.  


He looked down his naked torso, and saw the sheet. He grinned and slowly got off the bed.  


"Oh, no need to be modest for my sake. You wouldn't be the first woman to see me like this, and you probably won't be the last!" Jack teased her, putting his hands under her arms and pulling her to her feet.  


Jessica tried to fend him off, but her knees weren't quite ready to hold her. She started to sink back to the floor, when Jack moved up and put his arms around her waist. She held onto his shoulders, eyes squeezed tightly shut.  


"Oh, I've got cloth on, you can open your eyes!" Jack laughed. Jessica slowly did so as Jack lowered her to the bed. Sure enough, he was covered.  


"My my, love, if when getting out of bed with someone, you automatically assume" he let his sentence go unfinished. Jessica felt blood rush to her head, making her dizzy and even more embarrassed. She sputtered the first thing that came into her head.  


"I have been married before, I'll thank you to know!"   


Jack's smile faltered.   


"Oh, you poor thing! I can't imagine the hell" he stopped when he caught her glaring at him from beneath her arm.   


"It wasn't hell. It was bliss." She stated defensively. He couldn't help but notice how she'd looked at the ground, when she'd said it.  


"Oh aye bliss. How many times, now?" He asked with casually, looking to the side.  


He heard her shift around on the bed.  


"Um o-once, nearly three times."  


He turned to stare. "One and thrice are quite different things, love." She sighed.   


"Twice more I was engaged. The first one left me at the alter. The second one left for a party two weeks before the event, and never came back. " She said, looking squarely at the ground. He remained silent, and she continued.  


"I saw him the night before I got on that first ship." She murmured. Her face darkened. "I gave him hell, right there in the bar. He won't miss those few teeth, and I'm certain he'll learn to walk again."  


At this, she looked up, and met the captain's eyes. Her rage was clear, and he felt rather nervous.   


"At least," she gave him a cruel smile, and he felt his pulse quicken, "I think he will."  


Jack Sparrow suddenly wanted her off of his ship. She continued to smile in that way that had him thinking she was insane.  


"Now listen here, Miss Jessica." He said slowly, and calmly. "I will not tolerate any injuries inflicted upon my crew, by you. I want that said now, because I don't like your look right there. You've been warned."  


Jessica looked shocked, and scared, but then she returned to angry.  


"If they do anything to merit injuries, I shall certainly, not, hesitate." She responded with a growl.  


"And what would they have to do to merit those injuries?" He asked, angrily.  


"Well since they aren't the proposing type I assume it would be a willingness to kill me, if I have done nothing to deserve it." She answered, crossing her arms.  
Less then a yard from each other, they glared.  


The tension in the room was astounding. If a pin had dropped, they probably both would have jumped on it, and killed it before realizing what it was.   


In the back of his mind, Jack was glad he did not have his gun; though, still he hoped that no one decided to come in right now, or even knock. He would probably hurt them before he knew who it was.  


Jessica was shaking with fury and she didn't even know why.  


She sighed and dropped her arms. Now she'd have to apologize for being angry. Damn it!  


She was so mixed up, that she started to cry. Jack's pose relaxed and looked mightily confused.   


"Wha"  


"DAMN IT!" Jessica screamed. Jack jumped and stared at her in amazement.  


"?" He asked.  


"Damn it!" She repeated. "I HATE the ocean, and I HATE men, and now I'm trapped in a small space, with both of them, and I can't swim, and I'm scared, ALL OF THE TIME, and I can't do anything about it, and I HATE IT!" She screamed, covering her ears and rocking back and forth. She was sobbing loudly, and Jack hadn't a clue as to what to do.  


He stared at her, dumbstruck, with his mouth open, and eyes wide.  


Slowly, he recovered.  


"Youyou, can't swim?" he asked timidly.   


She looked up at him, eyes bleary, and shook her head.

**

.

**

"Well, you're getting better. Try kicking your feet a bit more." Jack called over to Jessica. She nodded, and tried again, this time kicking hard. Jack nodded his approval. 

They were currently out in the shallows of a small island. The crew was spending the week or so they would be there, gathering what they could from the limited resources available. There was fresh water, fruit, and wood, and the last ship they'd ransacked had held a letter, telling of some weaponry and supplies the Brits had stowed away here for safekeeping.  


They hadn't found it yet, but they'd only been here two days. The Brits had screwed up their directions, so the crew had to search the island by themselves.

Jack still remembered Jessica's explosion. He had gone to the galley to get food, and when he came back, his bed had been made. Every little dirty thing in his cabin had been picked up, many cleaned, and even a few polished. Jessica was currently sitting on the floor, frantically cleaning a spot out of the rug under his bed.  


"What in the world are you doing?" Jack asked, frozen in his doorway.  


"WellI guess this is my way of apologizing." Jessica said, looking up. "I really shouldn't have acted like that. I do apologize." She had said quietly, looking to the floor again.  


"Ah, there's no need to be sorry!" Jack grinned. "It was my fault you probably felt a bit strange, waking up with me in bed after being through what you have."   


Jessica had smiled. "You have quite a reputation on the coast, Captain. If anyone else had heard that" She pretended to shudder.  


Jack had moved over and set the food on his desk.  


"Oh, aye, I'm aware." He paused to grin at her. "You're still on my ship, of course. There is still plenty of time to, what is the term, 'change the nature of our relationship', right?"  


Jessica raised an eyebrow as Jack walked towards her.  


"Musta heard that a hundred times over the years. It's a good term." He reached down to help Jessica to her feet.  


"By the way, what all did happen last night?" she asked with slightly squinted eyes. "It hurts to breathe."  


"Oh, yes. You drowned." He said, matter-of-factly.   


"Oh! Alright." Jessica nodded. "That explains it."

"Captain!" Someone yelled from behind them. Jack turned to see Gibbs stumbling towards them.  


"Aye?" Jack called back.  


"We found the weapons!" Gibbs called, standing at the edge of the trees.  


"Wonderful!" Jack called back, with a golden flash of tooth in the afternoon sun.  


"There's only one problem!"   


Jack's smile promptly vanished. "Aye?"  


"The Brits are still attached to them!" Gibbs raored, and turned to run back to the fighting.

Jack grunted, and furrowed his brows.   


Jessica, who had been wading to shore, turned and ran for one of the shore boats.  


"I'll be on the ship with cannons loaded, in case they try something while you're gone!" She explained over her shoulder. She quickly waded out to the dinghy and untied it.  


Jack waded to the boat and grabbed her arm.  


"An' just what are you going to do, if they board?" He asked, looking her in the eye.  


"I guess I'll get myself shot then." She replied with perfect honesty. She met his eyes and gave a brief smile. "Besides. I'm a woman, and if they realize that, they won't kill me. They'll just wait for you to come back. I'll send a signal somehow."  


Jack grabbed her right hand in his left one. With his right hand, he pulled one of his guns from his waist and handed it to her.  


"You pull this back, and then pull on this." He said, indicating the hammer and the trigger. "You'll get a bullet off every time to do that." He told her, absolutely serious. Her eyes were wide.  


"All right. Um Good luck!" She said brightly. He kissed her hand. "Go!" She smiled, and pushed him away.  


He turned, and ran off into the trees on the path Gibbs had used. Gibbs was a great man, but he was large, and unsubtle.  
  


Jessica was up on the ship in a matter of minutes. She pulled the rope ladder up, and loaded the cannons. She waited, looking out of strategically placed eyeholes.  


So far, nothing. It was much, much too peaceful for Jessica's liking; She kept expecting something to just jump out and try to kill her.   


That's when she heard the thump of a boot, and the growl of a male voice. Or several of them. She pulled back on the protruding metal piece, as Jack had told her, and crept cautiously towards the door. The object in question was suddenly flung open, just as a voice rang out.  


"DON'T SHOOT! Don't shoot love! Gibbs, BACK OFF!" Yelled the familiar voice of Jack.   


Jessica could make out Gibbs' shocked face. If she wasn't mistaken, several of the men behind him were angrily trying to fight their way into the room with Jessica.   


She let her fear and confusion show, and she backed up. Jack fought his way into the room, and walked towards her. His face was neither angry, nor shocked, but it was determined. He calmly walked up to her and pulled the loaded gun from her fingers. He set it off to the side, and grabbed her upper arms. She squirmed, but he wasn't hurting her.  


"Now, love. Jessica. I need you to be honest with us. Will you answer the questions we're going to ask you, honestly?" She kept glancing over at the angry faces of the crew, and the questioning gaze of Gibbs.  


Jack gently shook her. "Jessica."  


She looked up at him with big eyes.  


"Why are they so mad? What happened? Did I do something wrong?" She asked, and her voice trembled. It was the hardest thing in the world to concentrate solely on Jack. She wanted to run.  


"Love, what is your full name?" He asked slowly.   


"J-Jessica. Jessica Marie Baines." She replied, much the same way.  


"Are you sure." He was staring directly at her.  


"Positive. I've never lost my memory of anything. And that is my maiden name." She clarified.

Jack relaxed visibly.  


"What happened?" She asked of Gibbs, turning out of Jack's grip to look.   


"The Brits had heard about a Jessica Almond. They were looking for her." Gibbs smiled in relief.  


Jack turned to Jessica again, and didn't even get a chance to ask his question, before she answered.  


"And no, I was not married to, nor was I ever engaged to, a man named 'Almond'." She stated with finality.  


Jack just had to be sure. "Dated?"  


"Nope." She shook her head.  
  
"Good." Replied Gibbs. Many of the men behind him gave similar responses.   


"Well then. This has been great fun. What say we leave?" Jack said quickly, taking Jessica's elbow and guiding her up to the deck.  


"Well, alright. How many weapons did you all find?" She asked, hoping she'd get one.  


The men, as a whole, seemed to cringe. They all looked to Jack.  


"Umerr, abou' that"   


BANG!!! BOOM!!!! Jessica jumped and whirled in mid air. There, on the other side of them, blocking their way from the island, were two British ships. With cannons. All of them aimed towards The Pearl.

"Yes, welllet's get you below, love. We have some quick maneuvering to do"  


"They're here?" Jessica asked weakly.  


"Yeswe got the information, they got twice their men in re-enforcements. Not quite the fair trade, so we left." Jack emphasized with his free hand. He seemed excited.  


"Ready Cap'n?" Yelled the man from the crows nest.  


"Ayelove, would you mind going below, and firing off a few o' them cannons you have, loaded? Thanks." He left her to rush back below, and he went for the helm.  


"Right thenlet's see how we get out of this mess." Jack muttered to himself, a crazed glint in his eye.  
  
**

. 

**

Second chapter! I rushed to get this one presentable, because school starts again on Tuesday. *Sob* So, I hope this chapter was more fun to read, and...I don't know...gave more of an idea as to where this is going. Gives it a plot, I'd say! ^_^ Please let me know if there is anything you'd like to see happen next chapter, because otherwise I'm just going to run with it... give that rating a bit of a try-out! ~_^ Thanks again for reading! 

~Airyn


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